Merry Christmas, Darling
by BonitaBreezy
Summary: A tale of come-outs, parents coming to terms, and neurotic engagements.  Christmas 2010, AkuRoku AU.


A/N: I started writing this at the beginning of August. Good thing too, because obviously it took me a long ass time to actually get it done. What with laziness, lack of inspiration, writing myself into a corner, and having mental breakdowns about how much I hate college…anyway, it's easy to say that I've been horrendously busy for the past few months, but at least I got this done. Now if I could actually get any of my in-progress multi-chap fics to cooperate with me, life would be very good.

On another note, my dear friend/roommate drew me some fanart for this. :D I love it. Linkage: http:/ keyofdestiny813 . deviantart . com /#/ d343niu You know the drill. Just remove the spaces.

"Roxas, honey, can you pull those cookies out of the oven? I'm a little busy!"

Roxas, a twenty year old undergrad, dutifully opened the oven door and retrieved the enticing-looking chocolate chip cookies.

"And keep your grubby paws off of them!" she called as Roxas reached to take one. He scowled at the ceiling, wondering how she always knew. "They're for the neighbors!"

"The neighbors won't miss one cookie," Roxas grumbled, reaching to take one anyway. His fingertips had barely grazed the cookie when his mother entered the room. Scowling, she grabbed the plastic spatula from her apron pocket and swatted him with it.

"I said no!"

"Come on, Ma!" he whined. "It's just one cookie. How can you make your awesome, melt-y cookies and not let me have one?" The thought of being denied the wonder of her cookies almost made him glad that he'd dropped and broken her Christmas present the day before. It was a vindictive sort of pleasure.

She sighed and rolled her eyes, but flushed happily at his complement. "Oh, all right. Just one! And you have to take the plate over to the Kisaragis." Roxas winced at the thought of having to deal with the Kisaragis' energetic and half-insane daughter Yuffie. In the end, the cookie seemed worth it.

"Deal," he said, promptly stuffing a cookie in his mouth. His mother wrinkled her nose in distaste, shaking her head. "You are such a boy. Can't you eat like a human being?"

"Boys aren't human beings?" Roxas snorted, mouth still full of cookie.

"Not hardly," she responded, turning to the mixing bowl she'd left on the counter and preparing to make another batch of cookies.

"You miss me when I'm away," Roxas said, completely sure.

"I do," she admitted. "But it's nice to know that you and I are so close you tell me everything. It makes me feel closer to you. Sharing your life is a lot more important then sharing genetics."

Roxas felt that familiar jolt of guilt, and he had to turn away from his mother. It was true that they were very close. They were similar from their matching blue eyes to their sarcastic but loving personalities. Throughout his whole life, he'd never had a problem going to his mother and telling her anything and everything. She was one of his closest friends and a wonderful confidant…but that had changed in his freshman year at college. Now a first semester junior, he'd been keeping a huge secret from her for almost three years.

His freshman year was the year he'd met Axel. Axel had easily come in to his life and ripped everything apart. He'd made Roxas realize that he was gay and not long after, he'd made Roxas fall in love with him. It was the first thing Roxas had never told his mother. Axel had told him the horror story of his own coming-out and had shown him the scars upon prompting. Roxas had immediately been scared something similar would happen to him. He knew his parents wouldn't physically hurt him as Axel's had, but he thought the emotional hurt might be even worse because they were so close.

So the lies had begun. He told his parents about fake girlfriends and then made excuses as to why he couldn't bring them home to meet them. He'd become two different people. At school, he was Roxy, Axel's extremely loving boyfriend. At home, he was Roxas, straight, perfect child of Shera and Cid Highwind

But that was about to change. Axel, though having his moments of being obnoxious and clueless, was generally a rather perceptive guy. He saw how much all the lying bothered Roxas, and he'd been trying to convince the younger blonde to tell his parents the truth for over a year. He was the voice of reason, insisting that if they were as close as Roxas said then they would be okay with it. After much harassing, a small bit of bribery, and a tiny bit of blackmail, Roxas had agreed that he would tell his parents over Christmas break. He had originally planned to tell them after the holiday had passed so they could have one last good Christmas together if things went badly, but the guilt was just too much. He knew that he had to tell them. Today.

His decision made, Roxas pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and sent a text to Axel.

_Telling them tonight. If things go badly, I'll be home by tomorrow morning at the latest._

Axel's response was instantaneous. _Everything will be fine. I love you._

Roxas smiled and returned the sentiment, snapping his phone shut as his mother turned around from her batch of cookies.

"Put those on a plate, will you?" she said, nodding to the batch that Roxas had previously pulled out of the oven. Roxas obediently did as he was told. As soon as they were on the plate, he wrapped it up in the festive saran wrap his mother had found at the store. He suddenly felt like the silence around them was extremely awkward and he needed to make his escape.

"I'll take these now," he said quickly. "You know…get it over with."

"All right, honey. Wish them a merry Christmas for me."

"No problem." In his rush to leave, Roxas almost left the cookies lying on the counter. He grabbed them quickly at the last second and made his way out of the house.

The December snow was falling in gentle flakes from the sky, something that never failed to make Roxas smile. He loved the snow because it reminded him of lazy days spent inside with Axel cuddling on the couch and watching movies.

_Is it really sad that I miss you already?_ He texted to Axel, an amazing feat considering he was balancing a plate of cookies in his hand.

_Maybe a little, it's only been nine days. But I miss you too. It's snowing here._

Roxas smiled and texted back, _Here too._ He tucked his phone back in his pocket as he trudged up the Kisaragis' front steps, pressing the doorbell. It chimed 'Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer' and Roxas had to roll his eyes affectionately. It only took a few moments for the door to swing open. Roxas was kind of surprised to be met with a young woman rather than the kid he was so used to.

Yuffie still kept her hair cut short and she still seemed to be as bubbly as ever, but something seemed to be older about her. Something about the curve of her face or the way she held herself seemed more mature.

"Hi, Roxas!" she cried, bouncing on the balls of her feet. "Wow, you look so old, I haven't seen you in forever! Are those your mom's cookies? Awesome, I love those, they're so great! You wanna come in? Come on in!"

Okay, so maybe she hadn't changed that much. She was still a chatterbox. It was almost impossible to get a word in edgewise. Before he had a chance to decline the invitation, Yuffie had dragged him in to the house, led him to the living room, and sat him firmly on the couch. She then proceeded to talk his ear for an hour, telling him all about her life in high school and the people there.

He nodded and pretended to pay attention, all the while texting Axel and making himself more nervous about talking to his parents. Finally he got a text from his mother, requesting he come home for dinner. At any other time it would have been a saving grace, but he felt sick with the idea of going home. Going home had the potential to change his entire life.

Still, he'd made his decision. He bid Yuffie farewell and cut back across their yards to his own front door. The house smelled delicious as he opened the door, but he found he couldn't appreciate it.

"Roxas, come sit down!" he mother called from the dining room. "I made your favorite!"

Oh God, could she make this any more difficult for him? It was like she was showcasing everything that he could lose if things went badly. He reluctantly entered the kitchen and took his seat to the left of his father, across from his mother. He loaded his plate and began to eat in silence, gearing himself as his mother asked his father about his day at work and made idle chatter. After about twenty minutes, her blue eyes met Roxas' and he knew the time had come.

"Roxas, honey, are you all right? You've been very quiet since you came back from Yuffie's."

"I…" Roxas' voice cracked from nerves and he had to take a drink of his water before he could continue. "I have to tell you guys something…and I'm not sure how you'll take the news…"

"Oh my God, Roxas, did you impregnate a girl?" his mother demanded, her eyes wide with panic.

"No!" Roxas cried, waving his hands in the air. "God, no!"

"Have you failed out of college, son?" Roxas' dad demanded, glaring at his son. Roxas stared back at his gruff father, seeing the resemblance in their disheveled blonde hair and wondering if his father would resent him soon.

"No, Dad. I've still got a three point six…"

"Have you picked up an STD, Roxas? I always told you to use protection…"

Fed up with their continuous, preposterous interruptions, Roxas finally flipped. "I'm gay!" he yelled, cutting off his mother in mid-rant.

The room instantly went silent and Roxas suddenly felt quite sick as his parents stared at him with wide, disbelieving eyes. They weren't freaking out, but they also weren't really doing anything. He wondered if he sent them in to catatonic shock for a moment before Cid found the ability to speak.

"So…you're telling me…you, my son, are a fag?"

Roxas flinched at the word, but nodded. Cid stood up from the table and started to pace.

"How the hell could this have happened?"

Roxas looked down at his plate, suddenly feeling as if he were seven years old again and getting scolded. His mother was still sitting silent across the table from him, and he wondered if he should just leave. They didn't seem to be angry, but maybe they couldn't even comprehend it all enough to be.

"Are you sure, Roxas?" Cid asked, stopping his pacing and staring hard at the younger blonde. "Are you positive?"

"Yeah, Dad," Roxas sighed tiredly. "I've been dating this guy for almost three years now. I love him…"

"Three years?" Roxas' mom spoke up quietly. "You've been…keeping this from me-from us-for three years?" And then she started to cry. Roxas' heart sunk and his stomach clenched as his mother cried in shame and his father glared at the floor.

"I…I'll just go," Roxas said over his mother's quiet sobs. He escaped from the dining room like a bat out of hell, rushing up to his room. He was already calling Axel as the door shut behind him, looking around his room in an almost frantic panic to find his things so he could pack.

"Hey, baby," Axel greeted cheerfully. He had been so sure that things would work out well. Roxas was almost crushed to have to disappoint him. He swallowed hard against the lump in his throat, trying to speak. Axel, who knew him almost better then he knew himself, interpreted the silence correctly.

"Oh, baby, I'm so sorry," he sighed. "I really thought…"

"Yeah…yeah, I know," Roxas responded quietly. "My mother is in the kitchen sobbing. But I guess it could be worse. They didn't beat the shit out of me, after all."

"Roxy, you can't base your experiences off mine. My parents and I never really got on well in the first place, and me being a "dirty fag" didn't really help my case. Your parents love you to death…"

"Yeah, well…they did," Roxas sighed, throwing the last of his clothes in to his duffel bag and zipping it up. "I'll be home around ten, I guess. I might stop and get something to eat, so maybe later then that…"

"Do you want me to come get you, Baby? I could be there in three hours, tops."

"No, it's all right. I don't really want to wait around here that long. It would be too awkward…"

Roxas stopped talking as his bedroom door swung open and he was met with his mother. She had stopped crying, though he could still see the tear tracks on her face.

"Is that him?" she asked. "Your…your boyfriend?"

Roxas nodded, unable to meet her eyes. She moved quickly, snatching the phone from his hand.

"Wait, Mom!" he lunged for the phone but she danced back away from him. What was she going to say to Axel? Would she blame him?

"This is Roxas' mother. What's your name? Like the car part? All right, then. Listen, Axel. I need to speak to my son, so forgive me, but he'll call you back." With that she snapped Roxas' phone shut and stuffed it in her pocket.

"I did not raise you to be like this!" she said sternly, crossing her arms over her chest and looking formidable. Roxas almost couldn't believe what she'd just said. Did she really think his being gay had to do with the way she'd raised him?

"I was born like this, Ma. It has nothing to do with the way you raised me…"

"You were not born a liar, Roxas! I can't believe you lied to me about this! I thought…I thought we were really close. I thought…you told me everything. Okay, I knew you didn't tell me everything, but I thought you told me the important stuff! And this is kind of important, Roxas."

Oh…well that was not what he'd expected. He'd never really thought the lying was what she'd be upset about.

"I didn't tell you because I knew you'd react like you did down there! I didn't want to have to face the disappointment. It doesn't matter anyway. I'm going home and I won't bother you again. You know my phone number if you change your mind."

He shouldered his bag and started towards the door. As he put his hand on the doorknob, he stopped and let out a deep sigh. He couldn't leave without saying it. "Despite everything, you know, I love you both."

"Where are you going?" she asked quietly. "No matter what we love you too. Did you think we would disown you for being who you are? Do you really think that little of us? Of me?"

Roxas' heart clenched and he turned back to look at his mother. She was sitting on the edge of his bed, looking on the verge of tears again. Her hands were folded in her lap, but her eyes reached for him. He thought he might cry as well.

"But…mom…you were crying. Dad called me a fag!"

"I was crying because I was upset you'd kept such a big thing from me. And your father…well, you know Cid. He's got a terrible mouth at the best of times. I'm sure he thinks that word is acceptable in good company. Your father loves you, Roxas. He might have some trouble getting…used to the idea, but he'll come around. I know he will. Please don't go, Roxas."

With that final sentence, Roxas dropped his duffel bag from his shoulder and rushed back to his mother. He threw his arms around her in a tight hug, feeling like he might pop with joy.

"Oh, God, mom. Thanks…"

"Roxas, I'd love you even if you were a drug-dealing transvestite. You know that, right?"

"I do now," Roxas sighed happily. He held on to his mother for a moment more before holding out his hand for his phone.

"I need to call Axel. He's probably freaking out." She handed him his phone and Roxas pressed the speed-dial button for his boyfriend.

Axel answered on the first ring. "Roxas, are you all right? What the hell happened?" Axel hardly ever called him Roxas, so he knew how panicked his boyfriend was.

"Everything's fine. Everything is…great, in fact. I talked to my mom. I won't be coming home tonight after all."

"Oh? That's great, Roxy. I'm so happy for you." Roxas could detect the grin in Axel's voice, and he couldn't help but smile himself. Roxas' mother held out her hand for the phone, cocking an eyebrow at him. Roxas returned the look but was unable to say anything before she snatched the phone away for the second time in less than half an hour.

"Axel? Hi, this is Roxas' mother again. What are you doing for the holidays?" Roxas' eyes widened as he watched his mother talk to his boyfriend. It seemed almost more like an interrogation. "What, no family to spend it with?" Roxas shook his head avidly at his mother and she shot him a questioning glance, but didn't push it. "Why don't you come here and spend the holiday with us?"

"What?" Roxas yelped. "Really?" Axel seemed to have had the same reaction, because Shera smiled and said,

"Yes, really. It would be a pleasure to have you. And I'd really like to meet the man who stole my son's heart. That's wonderful! Anytime is fine. Tonight even. I'm sure you're anxious to see each other again. Okay. Wonderful. We'll see you soon, then. Here's Roxas."

Roxas stared at his mother as she flounced out of the room happily. He put the phone to his ear and let out a breath.

"So…you're coming, then?" Roxas asked.

"Sounds like it. Tonight, even," Axel responded, sounding amused. "Your mother kinda reminds me of Demyx."

"Oh, God, thanks. I'll never be able to look at her properly again. Should I come get you?"

"Nah, just give me your address and I'll MapQuest it. If you come out to get me it'll be three hours here and three hours back and then it'll be about one in the morning."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. But don't use MapQuest, it sucks and takes you in a back asswards way. Just take the thruway to exit 47 and then…"

"Wait, let me write this down." Roxas waited while Axel shuffled around, trying to find paper and a pen. He relayed the directions, wished Axel a good trip, and hung up.

Roxas found his mother straightening up the living room in preparation for their impromptu guest.

"Mom!" he called over the sound of the vacuum cleaner. "You don't have to go crazy cleaning the place, you know. Axel lives with me; I think he knows I'm a naturally messy person."

She turned off the vacuum and shot him a glare. "Just because you're a pig doesn't mean he has to think the rest of us are…and you live with this boy?"

"Oh…Uh…yeah," Roxas said with a slight grimace. "I told you I had a roommate."

Shera rolled her eyes and abandoned the vacuum for straightening up the coffee table. "Roxas, a live-in boyfriend is not a roommate. Do you each have your own room?"

"Um…no," Roxas answered slowly. "We…share."

"I'll bet you share a bed, too, don't you?"

"Yeah, mom, we do. What's your point?"

"My point," she cried, waving her arms in the air, making the copy of _Entertainment Weekly_ she held go flying across the room to hit the far wall, "is that when you share a bed with someone, they are not your roommate. Your father is not my roommate. Understand?"

"Yeah," Roxas sighed, retrieving the wayward magazine. "Sorry, but I couldn't exactly tell you I was living with my boyfriend when you didn't even know I had one in the first place."

"Point taken. But what have we learned? Don't keep secrets from your mother."

"Right, of course. Sorry."

Shera finished straightening the stack of magazines on the table and plopped down on the couch. "So tell me about your boyfriend."

"What do you want to know?" he asked.

"Anything you think is necessary to tell me."

Roxas smiled while he thought about his boyfriend and all the things he could tell his mother about. "Well…he tries to act like he's all badass and awesome, but really he'd kind of a geek. He loves science, especially chemistry and physics, because he's really good at math, too. He's the reason I passed statistics Freshman year.

He's really sweet too. Very affectionate. He always wants to hold my hand or have his arm around me and sometimes he'll call me at work because he says he misses hearing my voice. Sometimes he'll go to my favorite bakery before I get up in the morning and he'll bring me a blueberry muffin and coffee. Oh, and he gives the greatest massages. Sometimes, when I'm sore he'll give me a massage to make it better. He says it's the least he can do…" Roxas trailed off, blushing at the thought that he almost mentioned his sex life to his mother.

"Uh…yeah. So he's really sweet."

"Sounds like it," she mused. "It sounds like you found the fabled perfect man. There's the proof that the good ones are gay."

"I think it's just an Axel thing," Roxas confided. "He's way too good for me. Sometimes I'm astounded he puts up with me."

"It sounds like he loves you a lot."

Roxas blushed again and ducked his head so that he didn't have to look in his mother's eyes. "Yeah. He does." They were quiet for a few moments before Shera picked up her work ethic again.

"All right, come help me pick up the remnants of dinner. Are you still hungry?"

"No, not really," Roxas sighed. "All the drama kind of killed any appetite I might have had."

His mother only laughed, and they marched into the kitchen to make it look presentable for Axel, who probably wouldn't even notice. Roxas was kind of surprised to find that the food was still partly warm. It seemed like dinner had been so very long ago, but it actually couldn't have been more then a half hour.

"Where did Dad go?" Roxas asked as he stacked the plates on top of each other, placing the silverware on top.

"He's in the workshop. You know how he is, he thinks best when he's working."

"I hope…" Roxas trailed off for a moment, taking the dishes to his mother at the sink, getting ready to wash up. "I just hope he's not completely disappointed in me. Like…I dunno, I hope he doesn't think that I failed him as a son or something."

Shera shook her head, plopping the plates in to the rapidly filling sink and beginning to wash them as she spoke.

"You did not fail him, and your father would never think that. You're a wonderful, accomplished young man and your father and I are so very proud of all that you've managed to do with yourself. We always knew that you'd go on to do great things and that one day you'd find someone to share it with. Of course, we never imagined that someone would be a man, but we're flexible people. We know how to roll with the unexpected." She rinsed the newly washed plates and stacked them in the strainer next to the sink. "My point is, Roxas, you could never fail us as a son. We love you too much for that."

"Thanks, mom," Roxas said. "But Dad's a lot more tough love then you are. I mean…it's not like I'm not a guy…"

"I know that, honey. Just give your dad some time to sort things out in his own head. He'll come around and when he does, he'll see that you're the same person you've always been."

Roxas wrapped up the pot roast and popped it in the refrigerator and then finished clearing off the table. When the last of the mess had been cleared away, Shera nodded in satisfaction.

"Good, now go make sure your room is clean. Change the sheets and vacuum the floor."

"Uh…why?" Roxas questioned.

"Because, it's common courtesy. He shouldn't have to sleep on whatever is all over your sheets, despite the fact that you share a bed on a regular basis," she said, cutting off his protests.

"Oh, so he's sleeping in my room now?" Roxas grumbled. "Isn't that why we have a guest room in the first place?"

Shera gave him that look that only mothers could muster. The look that clearly asked if he was as retarded as he seemed. Or maybe that was just _his_ mother.

"Well, I thought he'd be more comfortable staying with you, especially considering he's in a place he doesn't know."

Roxas was kind of shocked at her response. He hadn't really considered it that way.

"Oh…I'll be in my room, too," he said, slightly dumbfounded. "You're gonna let us share a bed here?"

"I don't see why not, you already do at home. Besides, I'm pretty sure you two can refrain from having sex while you're here…"

"Ew, mom. Like I'd do that with you and dad right down the hall." Roxas shuddered at the thought.

"Yes, I thought so. Go clean your room." She swatted him with the dishtowel as he fled the room.

He did as he was told, switching out the blue sheets for some bright green that reminded Roxas of Axel's eyes. He wondered what Axel would think of everything. Of his home, his parents, and the room that he'd spent his childhood growing up in. As far as rooms went, it was pretty boring. He'd taken most of his personal things to Hollow Bastion with him, and they now presided in the apartment he shared with his boyfriend. However, there were a few things that he'd left. He flopped down on his newly made bed, looking at the wall opposite it. There were six shelves lined up on the wall, filled to capacity with snow globes that he'd been collecting all his life. Every place he'd ever gone, he bought a snow globe to commemorate the occasion. Family and friends tended to give him snow globes for Christmas and birthdays, and over time he'd collected hundreds.

He loved his collection, but he hadn't wanted to move it to his apartment in fear of breaking them, but also for lack of space. His dad had taken an entire day to build and put those shelves up for him when he was seven, and they were as sturdy now as they ever had been. It was something very special to Roxas, because his father had always, ironically, thought snow globe collecting was "fruity". Still, he'd taken the time because he knew it was something Roxas loved. Hopefully, he'd react in a similar way to Roxas' feelings for Axel.

Watching the snow globes lulled Roxas into a sense of restfulness, and eventually he fell asleep.

"ROXAS! For god's sake, what makes you think you can go to sleep when your boyfriend will be here in less than half an hour! Do you really think he wants to hang out with your parents, especially if you're not there?"

Roxas sat up in alarm, breathing heavily in shock. His mother stood in the doorway, her hands on her hips.

"What does Axel like to drink?" she asked him. She was still glaring at him, but it was mostly in an amused sort of way.

"Um…I dunno. Coke, I guess. He's not really picky, as long as there's some sort of soda around."

"Of course," she sighed. "The one thing I don't keep in the house. Sweetie, do you think you could go out and get some for me? I'm still working on getting everything presentable around here."

"Yeah, I guess. It's not that big of a deal…"

"I want him to feel welcome, Roxas, and so should you."

"All right, give me the money. I'll be back soon."

He slid on his shoes and coat and headed out to his car. He hadn't driven it in a few days, because most things in Radiant Garden were in walking distance. However, because it was such a small town, he knew all the little convenience stores would be closed by then, so he had to drive fifteen minutes to the Moogle Mart on the outskirts of town. Moogle Mart was open twenty-four/seven.

Oddly, it seemed that Moogle Mart was the place to be at ten o' clock on a Wednesday night, and Roxas found himself running into five different friends from high school. He talked to them briefly, not wanting to seem rude, but hurried along. He was a bit worried that Axel would show up while he wasn't there, and that would be really awkward for him.

So he hurried as much as he could, grabbed a twenty-four pack of coke, and sort-of sped home. Despite his rushing, however, there was a familiar black truck in his driveway when he got there. Roxas smiled to himself as he pulled in, furious that Axel had made it there before him, but happy as hell to know that his boyfriend was close enough to touch.

As he got out of the car, he realized that there was a figure standing just in front of the porch steps, looking at the door. Judging by the height, it could only be one person. He hadn't seemed to notice Roxas' arrival, so the blonde took the opportunity. He set the soda down quietly on the sidewalk and snuck up behind his boyfriend, wrapping his arms around the redhead's midsection and pulling him backwards.

Axel let out a surprised shout as he toppled over into the snow, grunting quietly as Roxas moved around his fallen form and settled on his hips with a grin.

"Hey there, stranger. Some people might get worried, seeing you standing outside the house like some sort of thief or stalker or something."

"Yeah, well…" Axel sighed, looking away, his cheeks a flushed pink color that could have been blamed on the cold, but was mostly from embarrassment at having been caught hesitating. "I was just trying to talk myself up. Meeting the parents is kind of a big deal, isn't it?"

"They'll love you," Roxas promised, leaning forward so he could kiss his boyfriend's lips for the first time in far too long. "You're perfect."

They kept their kisses chaste, aware that they were outside in the snow and that Roxas' parents could come to investigate the noise at any moment. Finally, Roxas worked up the willpower to pull away, and then stand. He offered Axel a hand up; almost immediately wrapping his arms around the redhead once he was upright, burying his face in Axel's deep green wool coat. He inhaled deeply, suddenly feeling more at home than he had all week.

"God, I've missed you," Axel sighed, pressing a kiss into his spiky blonde hair. "It seems like it's been so much longer than nine days."

"I know what you mean," Roxas responded. Reluctantly, he pulled out of Axel's arms, taking his hand instead.

"Come on inside, you're freezing. How long have you been out here for?"

"Um…not long. About…ten minutes?" Axel guessed, tagging along obediently as Roxas fetched the soda he'd gone out to get and then back up to the front porch and inside. He grabbed a black duffel bag from the ground beside where he'd been standing, latching the strap over his shoulder in a practiced manner.

"Ten minutes? Jesus, Axel, it's below freezing out here!" Roxas admonished as he opened the front door. "Mom, I'm home! Axel's here!" he called out as he pushed the door shut behind him and started unzipping his jacket.

"Take your shoes off," Roxas instructed his boyfriend as he hung his winter coat on the hook by the door. "Give me your coat."

Axel obediently kicked off his chucks and unbuttoned his jacket, revealing an olive green long-sleeved thermal shirt underneath. He handed the jacket off to Roxas, along with a long black scarf he unwound from his neck.

Shera entered the room, a pleasant smile on her face. Roxas saw her eyes widen slightly as she took him in, all six feet and five inches of him.

"Wow, you certainly are tall," she said with a smile, holding a hand out to shake. "I'm Roxas' mom, you can call me Shera."

"Oh, uh, yeah," Axel responded shaking her hand. "I get that a lot. I guess Roxas didn't tell you. I'm Axel, nice to meet you."

"I'm so used to it, I don't even really notice anymore. I guess I kind of take it for granted that you're abnormally tall," Roxas explained, hefting the soda in to the kitchen. Axel followed him almost like a lost puppy, and Roxas couldn't really fault him for it. He had to be feeling pretty awkward.

"So, Axel, you're older then Roxas aren't you?"

"Uh, yeah, I am. I'm twenty-four. I was a senior when Roxy was a freshman."

"Roxy…" Shera repeated. It was extremely odd to hear his mother say the pet name he'd heard Axel moan in his ear while they were having sex. Another of his favorites was 'Baby' and if Roxas' mother ever used that particular endearment with him, he feared he might develop a facial tic. "That's cute." She decided.

Roxas wordlessly offered Axel a soda, to which he nodded almost imperceptibly. It wasn't like they were trying to be secretive or anything, but they were just so used to each other it came naturally. Roxas produced some ice from the freezer and set about pouring his boyfriend a drink. Usually he wasn't so nice and would make Axel get it himself, but he was feeling generous and he also knew his mom would kick him in his teeth if he was "rude" to a guest.

"So, how did you two meet, if you're so much older?" she asked. Axel took a long drink of his soda, wrapping his arm around Roxas' shoulders by habit. Whenever they were together, Axel was sure they were touching in some way. The redhead insisted that most of the time, he didn't even realize he did it.

Roxas took a moment to reflect on the situation at hand. Earlier that day he'd been having mini-breakdowns at the thought of telling his parents about Axel, but now his boyfriend was standing in his kitchen chatting with his mother. It was so strange how quickly things had moved along, he wondered momentarily if he was dreaming. But the weight of Axel's arm around him was too real for this to be fake.

"Well, his roommate and I grew up in the same town and I was helping him move in. We met there and kind of hit it off and became really fast friends," Axel explained. "We were best friends for a few months before we started dating."

The back door that connected to the kitchen banged open and Cid entered, a bit of grease on his cheek, no doubt from working on one of the many cars he had back in his workshop/garage. He stopped when he saw Axel, his narrowed eyes lingering where the two boys touched. Roxas hoped to god he wouldn't say anything extremely rude or judgmental.

"You're the boyfriend?" Cid asked, his voice more gruff than usual.

"Yes sir," Axel answered. "My name is Axel. Nice to meet you." They shook hands and Roxas could see that his father was satisfied with Axel's shake. He had taught Roxas at a young age the proper way to shake hands, insisting that one could tell almost everything he needed to know about a man by his handshake. Roxas snaked his arm around Axel's waist, giving him a gentle squeeze of encouragement. Things were quiet for a moment as Cid and Axel released each other's hands and Cid sized the redhead up. This was part two of the Cid inspection, and Roxas could think of no logic behind it. Whatever went on in his father's head while he was sizing people up, Roxas could make no heads or tails of. He couldn't hope to interpret it. He could only hope that Axel would pass. Finally, after a long enough silence to make everyone uncomfortable, Cid gave a tiny nod. Roxas felt a rush of relief and he squeezed Axel again in celebration and Shera spoke up.

"So, Cid, Axel was just telling me that he already graduated," she said, hoping to start some sort of conversation.

"Is that so?" Cid asked thoughtfully. "If you're not in school, what do you do? Must be some awful nice boss to let you just drop everything on a moment's notice and leave town for the holidays."

Knowing that Axel wouldn't be able to resist the urge to make a wise crack, Roxas spoke up first.

"Axel's an entrepreneur," Roxas informed his father proudly.

"An entrepreneur, huh?" Cid asked, sounding skeptical. "What do you run, then?"

"Just a website," Axel said, ruffling his hair like he always did when people pressed him about his job. He was sort of embarrassed by all the attention he got for it, when he was really just a pretty simple guy. "A friend of mine and I set it up when we were juniors in college and it kinda spread out from there."

"It's big enough to make a living off of?" Cid asked, torn between looking impressed and trying to keep his threatening persona up.

"Yeah…I set my own hours, I can work from home and take care of everything while Roxy's in class. I can arrange my job around my life, rather than vice versa."

Roxas had seen this same old song and dance many times before. Axel tried to skirt around actually discussing exactly what website it was that he owned, but it always ended up…

"So, which website is it? Have I heard of it?"

…with someone asking.

"Probably," Roxas said with a grin, knowing that she had. Axel shifted uncomfortably, knowing what was coming, but he answered anyway.

"It's, ah, connected (dot) com," he said.

"Oh my god," Shera gasped. "You own Connected?"

"He created Connected," Roxas said, proud of his boyfriend's accomplishments.

Connected was the biggest social networking system in the world, connecting all the continents and with more than five hundred million users. One little pet project Axel and his friend Demyx had had in college had, overnight, turned in to a worldwide phenomenon, landing Axel the salary of a bigwig CEO. He was proud of his success, but he didn't like to boast about it to other people. He said it made him feel like a douche. Roxas, however, had no qualms about it, especially if it involved proving to his parents that Axel was good for him.

"So you're super rich, then, huh kid?" Cid said thoughtfully, showing his usual lack of tact.

"Uh…well, yeah, technically."

"How much do you make in a year?"

"Dad!" Roxas cried in protest at the same time that his mother said, "Cid!" in a warning tone.

"That is so completely rude and you know it," she admonished. "He didn't come in here demanding to know how much we make."

"Yeah, well, he's the one providing financially for our son, isn't he?" Cid shot back.

"I pay rent!" Roxas protested. "It's not like I just leech off him…"

"Not that I haven't offered," Axel supplied under his breath. "Look, it's not really that big of a deal. If you really wanted to find out, you could probably just Google it. I make around five hundred mil, give or take some depending on how the site's doing."

There was a silence for a moment before Roxas spoke up again. "He donates a lot to different charities as well." He smiled up at Axel, who was starting to look very uncomfortable. "Out to save the world and all that."

"Yeah, well," Axel mumbled, shrugging.

"All right…well, Roxas, why don't you take Axel upstairs and show him where he'll be staying? Cid, I need to talk to you."

Roxas nodded, lacing his fingers with Axel's and leading him from the room, stopping to grab his duffel bag on the way up the stairs.

"I'm really sorry about that," Roxas sighed. "My dad is…"

"Tactless?" Axel supplied with a small grin when Roxas went silent for too long.

"That's one word for it."

"So, where am I staying? A posh little suite?" Axel joked, trying to lift the mood.

"Unfortunately, no," Roxas grinned back. "You'll have to deal with my room."

He opened the door almost hesitantly, wondering what Axel would think. This room, despite not having spent much time in it for the last few years, was part of Roxas. It represented so much of his life, and if Axel didn't like it, Roxas was sure it would almost seem like rejection. He realized quickly that he had nothing to worry about when a huge grin spread over Axel's face.

"Oh my god, it's so _you_," he said, immediately moving to inspect the shelves of snow globes. "I thought you were exaggerating when you said you had hundreds of these, but you really weren't. Which one is your favorite?"

"Hm? Oh…well…probably this one." Roxas carefully lifted a snow globe that was at the forefront of the rest. It wasn't the biggest or grandest of all his snow globes, but it held the best memories. The globe showed the landscape of Twilight Town, the little suburbs just outside of Hollow Bastion. Roxas and Axel had gone on many dates to Twilight Town, often spending many hours sitting at the edge of the town's clock tower and talking about anything that came to mind. The tower wasn't very prominent in the landscape of the globe, but Roxas loved it all the same because it made him think about Axel.

"I remember when you bought this," Axel smiled fondly. "Our first date in Twilight Town and you just insisted that we go into the little gift shop in the train station. I thought you were crazy, but you just had to buy that overpriced thing."

"I'm glad I did. It marked a very momentous occasion in my life," Roxas said with a grin, placing the globe back on the shelf.

"If you love these things so much," Axel said, watching Roxas as he set the duffel bag on the floor at the end of his bed. "Why do you keep them all here? Wouldn't you like to take them home?"

"I need something to keep this room feeling like home," Roxas said, with a shake of his head. "Besides, these wouldn't all fit in our apartment, because somebody doesn't want to make grand purchases."

"Yeah, well, somebody else insists on paying his share of the rent and he couldn't afford to eat if he had to pay half the rent on an unnecessarily grand apartment. Besides, you know I hate to flaunt my money. There's no reason to be a douche just because I got lucky and have been successful."

"And that's why I love you. You don't let it go to your head."

"Anyway, I don't even have to flaunt my money. My devilish good looks get me all the attention I could ever want," he joked, but only partly. Axel really was kind of arrogant in a way, especially when it came to his looks. Well, Roxas thought he was arrogant. Axel said he was confident.

They were quiet for a moment after Axel's last comment, both with nothing more to say, no more jokes to throw out. It was almost like it had suddenly hit that they were together again. Axel crossed the room in two large steps, taking Roxas into his arms, his momentum pulling them both down onto the bed. Roxas smiled and wrapped his arms around Axel's skinny waist, resting his face against the redhead's chest. He could feel Axel enveloping him in his long arms and pressing his face into Roxas' hair, breathing deeply as he often did when he was tired, but comfortable.

"How was the drive?" Roxas asked finally, breaking their silence.

"All right, pretty uneventful," Axel said through a yawn. "I'm pretty tired now, though. I was up almost all night last night trying to figure out how to fix some glitches on the site because you know how Demyx insists we should do most of that work on our own because it's our site. God forbid we get a bunch of techies to help us out with the little stuff and make our lives any easier."

"Well, did you work it out?" Roxas asked, trying to sound sympathetic.

"Yeah, mostly. It wasn't like it was one really hard problem, more like a lot of little ones. Once I got too tired to do anything else, I told Demyx it was his turn and went to bed. I was asleep for about four hours when Marluxia called begging me to help him find a ring for Larxene in time for Christmas…"

"Whoa, really?" Roxas asked pulling away from Axel a bit to look at his face. "He's proposing?"

"Yeah, on Christmas Eve. How cliché is that?"

The annoyance in Axel's voice made Roxas want to shrink away when he thought of the ring in his dresser drawer that he had bought so long ago and carried with him for months waiting for the right moment. When he'd realized that he and Axel would be together for Christmas, he'd decided that either the Eve or the morning would be the best time to do it. Apparently not.

"So…" he said slowly, hoping that he wouldn't arouse suspicion. "What's your idea of a good proposal, then? Obviously not on a holiday."

"I dunno, a holiday isn't bad. I just think it should be more spontaneous. Like, I don't know, walking through the mall and just deciding, hey there's a jewelry store, let's get married. I guess some people would like it romantic and whatever, but I think marriage is about being so comfortable together that you don't have to try so hard. That, like, I could just ask you right now, and know you'd say yes."

"Oh," Roxas. For a moment, Roxas had the crazy urge to just ask him right there, but he held back. It was not the right time, because it wasn't really spontaneous. It had been brought up by someone else's proposal and they were discussing marriage and that was not what Axel wanted. "You're odd, Ax," he said instead, relaxing against the taller man again.

"Yeah, I know."

Roxas started running his hands over Axel's back in a soothing pattern, happy just to have the redhead around, despite his oddities. It wasn't long before Axel's body went lax and a gentle snoring filled the room. It was only a few minutes later that there was a knock on his door and then it opened, followed closely by his mother.

"Oh, is he asleep?" she asked quietly. If she was surprised to find them in such an intimate position, she didn't say anything.

"Yeah, he had a pretty rough night and only got a few hours of sleep. He's exhausted," Roxas explained. "I don't know why he didn't wait to come until tomorrow when he could have gotten a reasonable amount of sleeping time."

Shera shrugged and then smiled. "He wanted to see you." She let that sink in for a moment before she started speaking again. "Anyway, I wanted to apologize for your father's behavior. I've talked to him about it and he's agreed to be good from now on."

"All right," Roxas sighed. "Just…tell him that I won't stand for it, okay? If he's gonna be like that, Axel and I will go home and he won't have to deal with either of us."

Shera frowned sadly. "I don't want that, Roxas."

"Well, I don't either, but I'm not going to force Axel to put up with the harassment. I won't do it."

"I understand that, Honey. I'll tell your father. Do you want me to turn out the light?"

"Yeah," Roxas said suddenly feeling rather sleepy himself. "Thanks mom."

"Good night, Roxas. I love you."

"Love you too."

The light flicked off and she closed the door. Roxas listened to her footsteps retreat down the hallway and he rested his head back against Axel's chest once more. Drowned in the comfortable, familiar feeling of Axel, it didn't take long for him to fall asleep.

When Roxas woke up, Axel was gone. He frowned, sitting up to cast his gaze around the room. Axel was nowhere in sight and he momentarily wondered if the whole thing had been a dream. Then, he caught sight of Axel's bag and breathed a sigh of relief.

He got up, casting a glance at the clock to see that it was ten in the morning. He used the bathroom, tried to make his hair look a little less disheveled, and tumbled downstairs in the same clothes he hadn't bothered to change out of the night before. He could shower after food.

Axel was sitting at the table, chatting amiably with Shera, a plate of waffles in front of him.

"Yeah, he was such a rambunctious little kid. Once, he tried to lead a bunch of five year olds in a rally against the teachers to protest naptime."

Axel laughed out loud and Roxas could feel the blush spread across his cheeks. He entered the kitchen, glare in place.

"Moooom, what the hell have you been telling him?"

Shera turned to him and smiled brightly. "Roxas, you're awake! Would you like some waffles?"

"I'd like you to tell me what lies you've been filling my boyfriend's head with."

"I haven't lied," Shera insisted, setting a few waffles on a plate. "I've only told him truthful stories about your childhood."

"And they're great," Axel laughed. "You were such an awesome little kid."

"This is true," Roxas admitted with a small sigh. "But no more stories."

"I make no promises," Shera said seriously, setting the plate in the spot next to Axel's. Roxas rolled his eyes and sat next to Axel, who leaned over for a kiss. Roxas pecked him on the lips obediently before digging in to the waffles. They were so wonderful, he thought he might cry. Neither he nor Axel were very big cookers, so most of the time they lived on take out and whatever either of them felt like pulling together. A main staple in their house was Hamburger Helper.

"It's a wonder you're not fat, having all this great food growing up. I know I'd be."

"You flatter me," Shera said with a smile.

"No, seriously," Axel insisted. "This is great. I wish Roxy could cook like you."

"Well, thank you. Unfortunately, Roxas never liked to cook. I tried to teach him, but he's stubborn."

"Who, Roxas?" Axel snorted sarcastically. "You must be mistaken. He's nothing if not agreeable."

"Yeah, you're both hilarious," Roxas grumbled, shoveling some more food into his mouth as Axel and Shera burst out in laughter. They only continued to laugh through his dark glares, so Roxas threw down his fork and stood.

"All right, fine, dish out every embarrassing thing I've ever done and discuss all my flaws. I'll be taking a shower. Let me know when you're done." He left the dining room, ignoring Axel's sniggering calls of, "Roxy! Baby, come back here!"

He wasn't really angry with them, per se, more like a tiny bit annoyed that they were teaming up on him. It didn't warrant storming out of the room, but he wanted a shower, and why not make them sweat a little bit? To be honest, he was happy that they were getting along so well.

He grabbed some clothes from his room before heading to the bathroom and cranking up the shower. The hot water was nice on his skin and he let out a soft sigh of satisfaction. Any tenseness that had accumulated in his muscles over the last day from all the stress melted away as the hot water pelted his skin. He soaped up and then leaned back into the stream of water.

The rhythmic beat of the water against his skin lulled him into a sense of security, and he leaned his forehead against the shower wall as if he might fall asleep. The pounding water washed his thoughts and awareness of the world around him away, so he naturally freaked out when a pair of arms wrapped around his waist.

"Jesus fucking Christ!" He yelled, aiming an elbow at his captor. He stopped in mid-strike, however, when he recognized the laugh coming from behind him.

"Axel, what the hell are you doing?" Roxas hissed, pulling away from his boyfriend's grasp. "My parents are downstairs; do you really think this is the time?"

"I'm not here for sex," Axel insisted, his voice still holding that trace of amusement. "I just wanted to be in here with you. I know you and your crazy shower habits. You'll get yourself all worked up over something small and I'll have to spend weeks getting back on your good side."  
"You think you know me that well, huh?" Roxas asked with a raised eyebrow. "Because I'll have you know that I was just standing here basically meditating. I was just listening to the water. Now get out before my parents find out we're both in here at the same time."

"Be that the case," Axel said with a grin, "I still don't think I'll leave. Your dad is in the garage and your mother just went out to pick up some groceries. Please don't kick me out, Roxy." Axel kissed the back of his neck softly, his arms coming to wrap around the blonde once more.

Roxas let out a sigh, half exasperated half affectionate and leaned back into Axel's hold. "You're gonna get one of us into trouble one of these days," Roxas accused. Axel only laughed in response, and then reached past him to grab the shampoo.

"I think we'll be all right. You worry too much. You're gonna give yourself an ulcer."

Roxas laughed out loud, shaking his head. "Give me that when you're done." Axel handed over the shampoo bottle obediently and Roxas set about lathering up.

"So, what are your plans for this?" Roxas asked. "Is there any time you specifically have to be home?"

"No, not really," Axel said thoughtfully. "Demyx wanted us to go to that Christmas party with him so that he wouldn't be 'eaten by the intellectuals', but I think that he'll be fine. Zexion's a borderline genius and he claims to love Demyx, so there must be some sort of intelligence in there."

"You're a terrible person," Roxas chided with a grin. "Demyx is plenty smart and you know it. He's just more interested in having a good time and playing his music then he is in school. Also, he's smart enough to code an entire website and market it well enough to make you both ridiculously successful, so…"

"Yeah, okay, you have a point, but I'll have you know that I do just as much work as he does. If the other night is anything to judge by, I do _more_ work. But anyway, why do you ask, anyway? Tired of me already? Here, switch me places so that I can wash this shampoo out."

With practiced ease they slipped around each other, Axel blocking the jet of water and making Roxas shiver with the lack of warmth. He was distracted for a moment by the tattoo on Axel's back that still made him feel a bit fuzzy inside. It was of Roxas' name in large black Old English letters going down his spine. Roxas had a matching one on his hip, but of Axel's name instead of his own.

"Babe, adjust the showerhead a little." The water hit him again, chasing away the chill and Roxas tried to remember his train of thought.

"Hm…oh, right. I was just wondering because I don't have to be back to work until the second…and I was thinking maybe we could go somewhere for a few days, just the two of us…it doesn't have be extravagant."

Axel turned around and stared at him, eyebrow raised expectantly. "Any reason why?"

Roxas looked away with a shrug. He thought that maybe he might come across that perfect moment to propose while they were alone and having a good time. But Axel looked so ridiculously suspicious of him that he just shook his head.

"Never mind. Forget it." Roxas made sure all the soap was washed out and he stepped from the shower, grabbing a towel off the hook.

"Baby?" Axel questioned as Roxas vigorously rubbed his hair dry. "Roxas, what's the matter?"

"Nothing," Roxas said, toweling off quickly and dressing. Axel finished rinsing off and quickly turned off the shower, grabbing the other towel hanging there and tying it around his waist.

"Well, something's up. One second you're talking about taking a mini-vacation and the next you're giving me the cold shoulder. What's that?"

"I'm not giving you the cold shoulder!" Roxas denied, starting to brush his teeth briskly. "I was done with the shower so I got out."

"You know that's bullshit," Axel responded, crossing his arms over his chest. "What just happened here?"

"Nothing. You just didn't seem interested so forget about it," Roxas said. He rinsed the foam from his mouth and grabbed his dirty clothes, leaving the bathroom and Axel behind. It wasn't for long, though. Axel was close on his heels.

"Dammit, Roxas, I wasn't uninterested. I was just wondering what brought it up is all. I am very interested in going somewhere with you. I just wanted to know if there was a reason for it."

"No," Roxas sighed, ushering Axel into his bedroom. "There's no special reason. I just thought it would be nice."

"See? Communication. Was that so hard? Now, where would you like to go?"

"I don't know, anywhere is fine, really." Roxas said as Axel got dressed.

"Well, how about I look at little places around here and pick some out and then we can decide. How's that?"

Roxas sighed quietly before he kissed his boyfriend softly. "That sounds wonderful. Thanks for putting up with my crazy."

"Not a problem. I've had tons of practice." Axel pulled his laptop out of its case and powered on. He frowned at the date scrawled in the corner.

"Did you know it's Christmas Eve?" he asked, narrowing his eyes in confusion.

"No it's not," Roxas said. "Your settings must be wrong."

Axel pulled up his homepage and pointed to the date in the corner. Surely enough, it read, "December 24th".

"Oh…wow. It really snuck up on us, didn't it?"

"Yeah, I guess so," Axel sighed. "Too bad, I love Christmas. I don't want it to be over." This last part was said in a long whine.

"So, what do you want to do today?"

"I dunno," Axel shrugged. "Show me around the place you grew up. I wanna see all your old haunts."

"There's really not much around…but I guess I could show you the Usual Spot. That's where I spent most of my childhood, when I wasn't getting yelled at for skateboarding in parking lots."

"Aw, I remember when you were a little skate punk," Axel said rubbing Roxas' wet hair affectionately. "You were so fucking adorable with your constant scowl…and that industrial piercing! Baby, that was sexy. Why did you let it grow out?"

"It hurt a lot and was very irritating," Roxas said. "I didn't have the patience to care for it properly at the time."

"Would you get it done again, if I paid for it?" Axel asked.

"Yeah, maybe. But you couldn't play with it for at least a year. Do you think you could be that patient?" Roxas asked with a raised eyebrow. Roxas' ears were pierced four times each on the lobe and with a cartilage piercing on the right side. When they'd first met, Roxas had also had an industrial on the left side, his eyebrow, and his lip done. He'd let them grow out as he got older and outgrew his "skate punk" stage, as Axel liked to call it. He knew Axel had a weird fascination with his multiple piercings. He liked to flick them with his tongue, and Roxas himself found it strangely erotic. Of course, he couldn't really fault Axel for liking body jewelry without being hypocritical. Axel had this one vibrating tongue ring that Roxas was particularly fond of…

"A year?" Axel asked, looking disappointed at the mere thought. "Why that long?"

"It's a cartilage piercing," Roxas explained. "It just takes longer. And they're really hard to take care of. If I'm not really vigilant about it, it can scar and look all gross or get infected. But it'll be really sore for a few months, at least. Not sexy to play with, just very painful."

"I don't know, Baby. It _is_ really, really sexy. Might be worth it."

"All right, then," Roxas sighed, with a roll of his eyes. "I'll do it if you will."

"Deal," Axel said immediately, without hesitation. "Let's do it."

"What, right now?" Roxas blanched, not expecting Axel to agree so readily. He had two tattoos, plus his tongue and his nipples pierced, so he was capable of dealing with the pain, but usually he spent days debating and listing pros and cons before he decided to do some body-altering.

"Yeah, why not? The sooner it's done, the sooner I get to play with it."

"You're really excited about this, aren't you?" Roxas asked with a snort. "Okay, let's go do it right now. On Christmas Eve. When no one in their right mind would have a piercing place open. But I promise you, Axel Sinclair, the first time you try to fuck with that piercing and it hurts like a bitch, I'm taking it out."

"I'll be good, I promise," Axel said with a smile. "Come on, let's go find a place that's open and do it, so you don't have time to change your mind. And then you can show me around."

"Great," Roxas rolled his eyes. "Okay, Crazy. Let's go. But don't be too disappointed when you realize all the places are closed."

"Somewhere will be open. Jews don't close for Christmas, Roxy. It's unwritten law." Roxas only rolled his eyes and shook his head.

He absolutely could not believe that there was a tattoo shop open on Christmas Eve, but there he was, with a brand new industrial piercing through his left ear. Axel had opted to do the right side, declaring that it made them two halves of a whole.

"What kind of psycho gets a piercing on Christmas Eve?" Roxas grumbled in disbelief as they headed towards the car.

"We do," Axel pointed out, holding the open for the blonde to get in with a charming smile.

"Point," Roxas acknowledged before the door slammed shut and Axel crossed to the other side of the car.

"So, now that we've got our impulsiveness for the day out of the way, where are we going?" Axel asked.

"Well, I thought we could check out the Usual Spot and then head to McDuck's and see if it's open. It was another place I used to hang out a lot. They have the best onion rings on the planet, I promise."

"Better than Seventh Heaven?" Axel asked doubtfully.

"Yeah," Roxas answered. "You'll see."

He drove to the center of town, near the city hall, and parked the car in the empty parking lot, marveling at how dead the place seemed. He knew that wouldn't be the case later, as there were three churches on that block and they soon would be filled to the brim.

"Okay, we're gonna be outside for a while, so don't leave your coat in the car," Roxas instructed, wrapping a light blue scarf around his own neck as he got out.

"So what is this 'usual place' anyway?" Axel asked as they left the car, their footprints the only tracks in the bright white snow.

"Usual _Spot_," Roxas corrected. "It's a place I used to hang out with my friends. We'd always meet there whenever we were gonna do something together. I mean, it's not some big epic place, but it's where I spent most of my days growing up."

"Then let's see it," Axel said, wrapping his arm around Roxas' shoulders as the blonde shoved his cold hands in the pockets of his charcoal grey pea coat.

They walked about a block away from City Hall and then Roxas turned down an alley, Axel following curiously. At the end of the alley was a big chain-link fence with a chain wrapped around the gate. Despite appearances, however, the gate wasn't actually locked. Roxas unwrapped the chain and pulled the gate open, pushing past a blanket that was nailed up to cover the entrance. Behind it was a small room, made up from the walls of the buildings around them and a foot bridge that crossed overhead to form a ceiling.

There was a beat-up couch against one wall, with a bunch of posters all over the place. There was a dart board on one wall with a picture of a blonde-haired guy with a scar on his face taped to it and a dart in the middle of his forehead.

"This is awesome," Axel said with a grin. "You just got to play around in here all the time? This sort of thing would have been fought over like crazy where I'm from."

"Well, there weren't a lot of kids my age around when I lived here," Roxas explained. "Just my friends and this other group of, like, three of four people. So we kept all the younger kids out by threats, and Seifer's gang liked to hang out downtown harassing people. I figure now, everyone just considers it our place and leaves it alone. That, or people forget it's here. It is kinda out of the way."

Axel plopped down on the couch, spreading his legs in front of him. He patted the seat next to him, and Roxas sat, leaning into the redhead when he put his arm around the blonde's shoulders.

"Yeah…this is pretty awesome," Axel declared. "I'd have loved something like this."

"Yeah, it was great. But as wonderful as it is, I'm cold, so let's go see if McDuck's is open."

"Yes sir," Axel grinned. They got up from the couch and left the Usual Spot behind, heading farther down the street. McDuck's was less than two blocks away, sitting on the corner with an 'open' sign in its window.

"Yes," Roxas hissed. "I'm telling you, man. Best…onion rings…ever."

"Did you just call me 'man'?"Axel snorted. "You haven't called me that since we started dating." Roxas remembered that moment perfectly, when Axel had kissed him on top of the clock tower. That moment when Axel had passed from 'man' to 'babe', when his role as best friend had expanded to also cover boyfriend.

"Yeah, weird," Roxas commented. "I think it's just this place. I'm someone different here than I am when I'm at home with you. But that's gonna change. I love you and I don't care who knows."

"Aw. I love you too, Baby." Axel pressed a kiss to his temple before opening the door to the diner, ushering Roxas ahead of him. He lead them back to a booth near the corner, the same place he'd always sat in back when he used to come with his friends in high school. They sat on opposite sides of the table, but Roxas popped his feet up on the booth across from him, right next to Axel, who rested a hand on his ankle, underneath his jeans so the contact was skin on skin. It was so cute how the redhead always wanted to be touching him. Roxas sent him a smile, nudging Axel's thigh with the toe of his shoe to convey his adoration. Axel smiled back, and Roxas thought his heart would stop from the sight. Looking at him smile, Roxas knew for a fact that he loved this man so much that it physically hurt. He couldn't imagine not spending forever with him.

"You okay, Roxy?" Axel asked, looking slightly concerned.

"Yeah. I'm perfect. Just thinking about you."

Before Axel had a chance to respond, a waitress appeared at the table, bouncing happily on the balls of her feet. Her hair was bright blonde and pulled on top of her head in a sloppy ponytail, accompanied by several accentuating braids.

"Hi, I'm Rikku and I'll be your…Roxas!"

"I already have one, thanks," Axel quipped, but Rikku didn't seem to notice.

"Hi, Rikku," Roxas greeted with a small grin. They'd hung out in the same group in high school, and though he'd always rather liked her, he hadn't seen Rikku since graduation.

"I haven't seen you in forever!" Rikku exclaimed. "How have you been? And who is the sex-god?"

Axel full-out grinned at the description, making Roxas roll his eyes. Rikku had never been one to mince words. She had absolutely no problem saying exactly what she meant.

"I've been okay. Working on college, you know. And this is my boyfriend, Axel. Axel, this is Rikku, we went to high school together."

"Nice to meet ya!" Rikku greeted the redhead, but didn't give him a chance to respond before saying to Roxas, "I always knew you were gay."

"What do you mean, you always knew?" Roxas snorted. "I was completely unaware until I met him."

"Well, you never had a girlfriend or anything. You weren't amused by bodily functions like all the other guys, and you never even noticed that Naminé flat-out flaunted herself for you for five years. And you always matched very well and dressed impeccably. I just assumed you wanted to keep it a secret, so I didn't say anything."

"That clothes thing is such a stereotype, Rikku," Roxas chided her.

"Is it?" Rikku asked. "Stand up," she said, tugging on Axel's arm. He looked at her like she was crazy for a moment before following her instructions. He'd apparently decided it was better to do as he was told, rather than face the wrath of some girl who was obviously a bit psychotic.

"Holy shit, you're tall," she took a moment to say before getting back down to business. "But anyway, look at this. Very fashionable, designer jeans that fit him perfectly and make his ass look superb." Roxas had to agree with that. "Along with this sweater that clings in all the right places, accentuating his skinny waist and his muscular arms at the _same time_; he looks like he just walked out of a catalog. You can sit back down." Axel sat, looking rather bewildered as Rikku yanked Roxas out of his seat and forced him to stand as well. Roxas noted, quite grumpily, that she'd treated Axel with a lot more respect, in that she'd actually _asked_ him to stand rather than just jerking him out of his seat.

"And look at you. First of all, you're wearing skinny jeans. _Skinny jeans_, Roxas, paired with a v-neck slim-fit shirt. Very cute sort of scene kid, sort of hipster, sort of emo, but oh so very gay. Even your jackets are tailored to fit perfectly. Straight guys don't pay attention to detail like that."

"To be fair, my jeans fit me so well because I have to have them made because I can't buy off the rack," Axel informed her. "When you get to be my height, people just assume it means you're big all around."

"I stand by my point," Rikku refused to budge.

"Okay, fine, believe that you're not a stereotyper," Roxas sighed in defeat. "Can you take our order now?"

"Oh, right, sorry!" Rikku apologized, seeming to suddenly remember that she was working. "What can I get you?"

Roxas shook his head in amusement, but they put their order in, and Rikku scampered back to the kitchen. Axel stroked his ankle slowly with long fingers, looking amused.

"She's something else, isn't she?"

"Oh yeah," Roxas agreed. "But she's loads of fun."

"Seems like it. Do you really think people can tell we're gay just by looking at us?"

"When we're together? Absolutely," Roxas said decisively. "We stand too close and touch too much to be straight guys. When we're apart? I don't know. Apparently."

Axel snorted and Roxas snickered as well, but it was hard to say judging on Rikku's demonstration. She was very intuitive, and just tended to know things that other people didn't.

"Well, I dunno, I get phone numbers from a lot of girls, so I don't think so," Roxas added thoughtfully, taking notice when Axel straightened up a bit, his eyes narrowing.

"What do you mean, you get phone numbers from a lot of girls?"

"Well, I get them a lot in the cafeteria when I'm eating between classes. And sometimes I get them from girls in my lectures. Once, a waitress wrote hers on my receipt," Roxas told him.

"And you just let them?" Axel asked, sounding irritated. Though he was trying to be emotionless about the whole deal, Roxas could see the irritation and the slight hint of a pout in his boyfriend's face.

"Of course I don't," Roxas said with an amused smile. "When they give them to me, I very nicely and politely explain that, despite the fact that I'm very flattered, I love my boyfriend very much. And then I tell them you're the jealous type."

"Damn right, I am," Axel growled, squeezing Roxas' ankle, hard enough to prove his point, but gently enough not to hurt him. "You're mine. I don't share well with others."

"And I wouldn't have it any other way," Roxas assured him. "Now can we tone down the fit of jealous rage? I didn't mean to make you angry, I was only teasing."

"You're a bitch," Axel informed him as Rikku set their drinks down in front of them.

"You love me anyway," Roxas responded, causing Rikku to giggle as she headed back towards them with a tray laden with their drinks, and two plates with a hamburger and a bunch of onion rings on them.

"No pickles," she said, to Roxas with a grin. "No tomatoes," she added, placing Axel's plate in front of him.

Roxas eagerly snatched up an onion ring, unceremoniously shoving it in his mouth with a small whimper of pleasure. The sound made Axel shoot him a look that was partly interested, partly offended, and partly amused.

"That's the first time I've ever heard you make that noise not in relation to me trying to get in your pants. I'm not so sure how I feel about that," he told the blonde seriously.

"I've been enjoying these onion rings since long before you came anywhere near my pants," Roxas informed him. "Just try one, and you'll understand."

"Are you seriously telling me you think these onion rings are better than sex?" Axel deadpanned, giving the little fried ring a distrusting look.

"Eat the damn thing," Roxas growled. Axel, in a fit of intense maturity, stuck his tongue out at Roxas, but then took a bite of his onion ring. He chewed slowly, and much longer than a bite that size should have required. Roxas stared at him anxiously as he slowly swallowed, but sat back triumphantly when an amazed look spread over Axel's face.

"Oh my god," he said.

"Yeah," Roxas agreed with a grin. "I told you."

"Okay, yes, you were right. These are fantastic. Not better than sex…"

"Well, what is?" Roxas asked.

"I dunno," Rikku piped up. Roxas had actually forgotten she was there in the face of the culinary genius that was McDuck's onion rings. "I've had some sex that wasn't nearly as good as those onion rings."

"Well, you've never had sex with me," Axel boasted with a grin.

"And she, or anyone else that is not me, never will!" Roxas barked with a glare at the redhead.

"Yes dear," Axel said with a small grin to placate the blonde as Rikku burst out laughing and headed back to the kitchen.

"You're such an asshole," Roxas grumbled, biting another onion ring viciously.

"Call it payback for the numerous girls and their phone numbers," Axel said. "Now, truce?"

Roxas narrowed his eyes and stared the redhead down, refusing to budge if only for the moment. Axel propped his head up on his hands and returned the stare. Their eyes stayed connected for at least a full minute before Roxas blinked involuntarily.

"Dammit," he said. "Okay, fine. Truce."

"I love you, Roxy," Axel reminded him.

"Yeah, yeah," Roxas waved him off. "Eat your damn food." The redhead chuckled quietly, but he obeyed the blonde's demand.

They ate in relative silence then, the food demanding all of their attention as they realized how hungry they were. It was only about twenty minutes before Rikku came out and started wiping down the tables and putting chairs up.

"Hey, we're closing in about ten minutes," she said, setting their check on the table, which Axel promptly snatched up before Roxas could even begin to reach for it. "Christmas Eve, you know. I don't want to rush you or anything, but…"

"No problem, Rikku. We'll be finished in a few minutes," Roxas promised.

"Great," Rikku chirped. "I'll be up front when you're ready to pay." She flounced off again, giving Roxas the opportunity to glare at his boyfriend.

"Give me that," he said seriously, holding out his hand for the check. Axel looked at him blankly, though Roxas wasn't fooled at all. The redhead grabbed his wrist and pulled his hand closer, placing a kiss in the center of his palm. Roxas had grown used to Axel's many different methods, so he forced himself to stop thinking that the redhead was so sweet and remember his mission.

"Axel, you bastard; give me the check."

"You question my parentage?" Axel asked, feigning offence. "Of course, you'd be absolutely right, but that is entirely beside the point."

"Stop trying to distract me, Axel. Let me pay, it's my turn."

"You know, Baby, it's been so long since we last ate out together, I'm not sure if I remember it was your turn…" Axel raised his hand to his chin, as if he were deep in thought.

"It was," Roxas said flatly. "Come on, Axel, just give it to me. Why do you have to make this so difficult?"

"I like to take care of you," Axel shrugged.

"I don't need to be taken care of; I need to be treated like an equal. We are equals, Axel."

Axel sighed, rolled his eyes, and handed over the slip of paper without another word. Roxas snatched it out of his hand with a bit of satisfaction, leaning to the side to dig his wallet out of his back pocket.

"I know we're equals, Roxy. Believe me, I do. I just know I don't deserve you, so I like to make up for it."

Roxas let out a huff of breath through his nose, remembering a time when he and Axel had first started dating and the man had insisted that he wasn't good enough. While he was mostly a very confident person, years of being verbally abused by his parents had left him a bit uncertain about his worth with the people he loved. Roxas had thought he'd convinced the redhead that he was absolutely perfect for him years ago, but apparently he still had some doubts.

"Axel, that was completely contradictory. If we're equals then you deserve me and I deserve you because you're perfect for me and I love you…I like to think you feel the same way."

"Of course I know you're perfect, Rox…"

No," Roxas interrupted, eyes flashing. "Not perfect. Perfect for you, like you're perfect for me. We both have our faults and neuroses that make us bad. But _together_, we're perfect."

"Yeah…I guess you're right." Axel was smiling now, but it didn't reach his eyes entirely. Knowing that he was falling right into his trap, Roxas sighed and handed the check back. Axel snatched it up, his small smile spreading into a huge grin.

"Thank you for allowing me to feel adequate, Roxy," he said, getting up and heading towards the counter before Roxas could change his mind. The blonde sighed and rolled his eyes, but got up and followed him to the counter, putting his own wallet away as he went.

"We need to go to the store before heading back to my parent's house," Roxas spoke up as Rikku ran Axel's card. "I accidentally broke my mother's Christmas gift the other day when I was moving it and I haven't had the chance to go out and get a new one yet. I, uh, actually kind of forgot about it until just now."

"Rox…wasn't her gift that glass flower?" Axel asked, looking pained.

"Uh…yeah," Roxas admitted. "I know it was really expensive, but I am still planning on paying you back, I promise."

"You know that's not what I'm bothered about." Axel accused, slipping his wallet back into his pocket. "Kairi made that piece."

Kairi and Axel had been very good friends their whole lives, so Roxas could see how he'd be upset about him breaking a piece of art she'd put a lot of effort into making. Still, it wasn't really his fault. Technically.

"I know, I'm sorry. The box slipped out of my hands and it broke." Roxas frowned and shoved his hands into his pockets as they made their way outside again, snow falling in large, cold flakes. The whole town looked beautiful, peaceful and empty. It reminded him of one of his snow globes.

"Yeah, well, you can tell Kairi. I'd rather not face that particular massacre when she finds out."

"Fine," Roxas grumbled, leading the way back to the car. "I'd like to be cremated after she kills me." Axel only laughed, and if he noticed that Roxas wasn't really joking, he didn't say anything.

"So what are you going to get her then?" Axel asked. "You had a hard enough time finding something the first time, didn't you?"

"I have no idea," Roxas moaned. "Maybe one of those book reader things? You know…"

"The one where you download books onto it?" he asked.

"Yeah. She likes to read…but those are pretty expensive, aren't they?" Roxas frowned, racking his brain to come up with any idea for his mother that he'd be able to buy last second.

"Probably," Axel shrugged. "I'll cover it."

"I didn't mean it like that," Roxas grumbled, unlocking the car doors, turning the heater all the way up as soon as he had the key in the ignition.

"I know you didn't," Axel said. "If it makes you feel better, you can spend what you want on it and I'll cover the rest."

Roxas paused for a moment to think about it, and then he nodded. "Okay, fine. Deal. But your name is going on it, too."

"Won't that be…weird?" Axel grimaced.

"No," Roxas said promptly. "In fact, I think I'll put your name on Dad's present too. They might as well get used to it. I plan to have you around for a few more Christmases at least."

"I'm flattered," Axel snorted. "Nice to know I interest you enough to keep me around."

Roxas drove them to the nearest mall, about twenty minutes outside of town, which looked to be packed full of every man in town trying to get last minute gifts. Roxas felt like a cliché as he led Axel inside.

"Okay, here's the plan. We get in, grab mom's gift, and get the hell out," Roxas said quickly. He hated shopping malls, especially when the people there were acting insane. "If I remember correctly, the Barnes and Noble is down the hallway with the Sears at the end…so this way."

And they were off, weaving through the crowds, fingers laced as a necessity rather than just for affection. If they weren't holding on to each other, they'd get separated, and while they would eventually find each other again, Roxas did not have the patience levels to deal with it. So hold hands they did. Luckily, the book thing was on display right at the front of the store, making it easy to just grab one and go.

"Don't you want to see if there are different versions or colors or something?" Axel asked as Roxas set off with a purposeful stride towards the checkout counter.

"What part of 'I want to get the hell out of this mall' do you not understand?" Roxas asked.

"I dunno, I guess I just thought you'd like to put some consideration…"

"Babe, it's just a book reader thingie. Can I please just go buy it without a guilt trip?" Roxas asked, hoping he looked as tired and frustrated as he felt. Maybe that would win him some pity points.

"Oh, all right fine. You win. Let's go buy it, then."

"Thank you for understanding my plight," Roxas said, rewarding him with kiss to the back of his hand, since he couldn't reach Axel's lips without him leaning down to meet him. They split the cost of the present in half, which they agreed was fair after much argument between them and the suggestion of a harassed-looking cashier.

"This is why I don't go shopping with you," Roxas told Axel as they made their way back through mall and Axel stopped to inspect some things as they went. "You make it difficult to leave."

"Baby, I hate to have to tell you this, but the point of going to the mall is to look around," Axel told him dryly. "You are a very bad gay man, I'll have you know."

"Thanks," Roxas snorted. "I'll remember that the next time you want to stick your dick in my ass."

"Harsh, Roxy," Axel said, a bubble of laughter escaping him. "Hey, stop for a second. Come here."

Roxas rolled his eyes in annoyance, stopping once more and turning to watch as Axel scampered away into the crowd, toward something that had no doubt caught his attention for some reason or another. He crossed his arms over his chest, shopping bag looped around his wrist. He decided he'd give Axel five minutes, but that was it. He had to get out of the mall before his head exploded.

"Roxas, come here!" Axel called, making the blonde pause. It wasn't very often that Axel called him by his given name, so he figured it must have been important. Fighting his primal urge to simply flee from the mall, he headed over to where Axel was waiting for him, to the left of a brightly-lit jewelry store. He didn't see anything particularly impressive when he got there, so he just stared at his boyfriend expectantly, waiting to see what warranted the use of his proper name.

"Look," he said. "A jewelry store."

Roxas was confused. What did he care about a jewelry store? Sure, it was rather sparkly and pretty, but he wasn't really one for wearing diamonds. Figuring it was just another one of Axel's weird idiosyncrasies, he just nodded.

"Yeah, it's nice. Can we go?" He turned to leave, but hadn't even taken a step when he was stopped again by Axel simply saying his name.

"Roxas."

With a sigh, he turned back to look at his boyfriend again, only to find him considerably shorter than normal, as he was now on his knees. Admittedly, it was quite nice not to have to crane his neck to look Axel in the face for once, but Roxas was quickly growing tired of him acting so weird. He just wanted to go home, was that too much to ask?

"I know I told you that I didn't think a holiday was a good time for this, but I know you're secretly the romantic type," Axel started, and suddenly Roxas knew exactly what was going on. God dammit, no! He'd wanted to be the one to do it! "So I thought I might go with a little bit of what you want and a little bit of what I want…Roxas…"

"Will you marry me?" Roxas blurted out as Axel said, "Do you want to get married?"

They stared at each other for a few seconds in silence until a small smile broke over Axel's face.

"I guess that's a yes?" he asked, and Roxas just tilted the man's face up and kissed him in reply, wrapping his arms around Axel's shoulders in a tight hug. Axel laughed against his mouth, wrapping his arms around Roxas' waist and hugging him back just as tightly.

When they finally pulled apart, Axel grinned at him and said seriously, "I hope you know I'm valiantly resisting the urge to stand and pick you up and spin you around like an awesome movie cliché."

"Your show of restraint is admirable," Roxas deadpanned. "I love you and I'm ecstatic that we've finally agreed to get married…but can we get out of the mall now? Please?"

Axel laughed, but nodded, getting back on his feet. "You know, Roxy, there was a reason that I asked you in a mall. Now you have to admit that you have good memories at one."

"You're an asshole," Roxas informed him as they he turned to start back towards the car. It was then that he realized several people had stopped to stare at them, watching their impromptu engagement and further shared insults. They probably thought he and Axel were absolutely insane.

"Uh…congratulations?" One woman offered, as if she wasn't sure if that was the right thing to say.

"Thanks," Roxas said with a grin. "Come on, Ax, I've got a ring at home for you."

"Do you really?" Axel asked, bemused as they once again started their trek towards the car. "How long have you been planning on asking me?"

"Uh…" Roxas mumbled his answer, flushing with embarrassment at the idea of how much worry he'd put into it when Axel didn't care when it happened at all.

"What was that, Roxy?"

"Six months. I was waiting for the perfect opportunity…but I guess I was just being a coward. I didn't want you to say no."

Axel took his hand with an exasperated shake of the head. "Roxy, did you really think I'd say no?"

"I dunno," Roxas mumbled, "Maybe. I didn't want you to think I wanted your money or something…"

"I can barely get you to let me pay for things now. Why would I think my money is what you were after?" Axel asked after he managed to stop laughing.

"I don't know!" Roxas cried. "I thought it was a really awesome idea, but then the first night I was going to ask you mentioned how happy you were with everything exactly as it was and I didn't want to pressure you! So of course, then I had some time in my own head to convince myself that you didn't want to get married yet and I thought I'd wait until the time was right, but I'm so fucking neurotic I could never work up the courage to ask you!"

"I love your neurosis. It's cute," Axel told him. "And I know it doesn't matter much now, but I can tell you, if it ever comes to the point where you're in doubt of whether I want to spend the rest of my life with you, don't be. There is nothing I'd rather do, okay? Like, if I had to give up my business and all my money and everything I owned to be with you, I'd do it. Okay?"

Roxas couldn't help but blush at Axel's words, focusing on getting into the car and starting to drive before he made a total fool out of himself. Axel was right about one thing; he was secretly a romantic. However, he worked very hard to keep that a secret. There was no reason for the entire freaking world to know about it.

"So…we're gonna have to tell my parents," Roxas said, trying to get a hold of the situation. "Do you want to tell my dad before or after we call the ambulance?"

Suddenly Axel looked kind of nervous. He shifted in his seat, looking out the window at the falling snow. Roxas knew he was only doing it to try and hide his face.

"You don't really think he'll be angry about it, do you? I don't want to cause you any trouble with your family, Baby…"

"I don't care what he thinks about it," Roxas told him. "I love my Dad, but you're my family too. He's just gonna have to deal with it. But…I think he's going to be happy for me. Maybe not happy that you're a man, but he'll see that I'm happy any and hopefully that will make him happy too."

"I hope so," Axel said quietly.

Needless to say, Shera was ecstatic. As soon as the words were past Roxas' lips, she was off the couch, throwing her arms around his neck and strangling him half to death and talking about discussing wedding plans. Eventually, she grabbed Axel up into a hug instead and began talking about adoption and steps that Roxas totally wasn't ready to even consider yet. While she blabbered on about Axel being part of their family and how much she's always wanted another child and that she didn't know Axel very well yet but that definitely had to change, and wasn't it so nice that they were getting married?, Cid sat on the couch, staring at Roxas blankly. He was a bit worried that Cid's brain might have shorted out, so he stammered, "Uh…Dad?"

Shera finally released Axel, who also turned to look at Cid, as if waiting for Hell spawn to attack him. They all stared at him in silence for almost a full minute before Shera tried.

"Cid? Honey? Isn't that great news?"

Cid slowly turned his head to stare at Shera, and the staring continued for another minute or so. Just when Roxas thought his father might have had a brain hemorrhage, he finally blinked and looked back at Roxas.

"…Congratulations, son," he said. "If you're happy, I'm happy."

"I am," Roxas assured him, reaching out to take Axel's hand as Cid turned his gaze towards him.

"And you…you're not so bad, I suppose. Take care of my boy. He's the only one I've got."

"Yes sir," Axel answered, sounding a lot more confident that Roxas was sure he felt. Internally, he was most likely a wreck, but Roxas couldn't bring himself to care at the moment. His father had accepted them. He felt like he could fly with that idea.

"It's getting late," Roxas' mother pointed out. "We should probably all go to bed. We can call and tell the family tomorrow."

"Okay, mom," Roxas said, easily. He was rather tired, what with the many events of the day and the emotional ups and downs. "Good night."

Roxas led Axel up the stairs, feeling more tired than he'd realized. He noticed that Axel was rummaging through his bag for quite a while as he changed into pajamas, but didn't really think much of it. Instead, he just went to the bathroom to brush his teeth. When he got back, Axel was dressed for bed, but he was sitting on the edge of Roxas' mattress with a square box in his hands. It was wrapped in blue snowflake paper and tied off with a silver ribbon. That alone was enough to tell Roxas that Axel hadn't wrapped it himself. He didn't believe in ribbons.

"I know Christmas is in the morning," Axel explained before Roxas had a chance to ask. "But I don't want to wait anymore. So here."

Roxas took the box from him without a protest, sitting down at his side. He opened the gift meticulously, just because he enjoyed making Axel fidget, but also because it was actually rather heavy and he didn't want to drop it in case it was breakable. The box under the paper was just a plain brown cardboard one, giving no clue as to what was inside. He used his car keys to slit the masking tape, and Axel seemed to get more anxious by the second. He was admittedly dying to know what it was by that point, so he eagerly pulled open the box. And then he gasped.

Inside was a snow globe. But it wasn't just any old snow globe. It was huge, the globe the size of melon set on a beautifully detailed base. The base was decorated as the landscape of Twilight Town, hand painted and beautiful. Inside the globe was the top of the clock tower, the very same place they'd have their first date, every detail perfect. But even that wasn't the best part. The best part was the two little figures sitting on the tower's edge, one with red hair and the other with blonde, each holding little sea salt ice creams in one hand and each other's hands in the other.

"Oh my god," Roxas said. "How did you…?"

"I found an artisan who makes snow globes online and sent him a few pictures. You like it?"

"God, Axel, it's perfect!" He very carefully set the globe aside and threw his arms around Axel's neck. Roxas officially knew he was the luckiest man on Earth. Who else had someone who would go to such lengths, just for something as simple as the perfect Christmas present? "I love you."

"I love you too, Rox. Merry Christmas, Darling."

A/N: One more fanart from my wonderful roommate. :D

http:/ keyofdestiny813 . deviant art . com /#/ d34d5cx Just remove the spaces. :)


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